When comparing Galaxy Trucker vs Descent: Journeys in the Dark, the Slant community recommends Galaxy Trucker for most people. In the question“What are the best board games?”Galaxy Trucker is ranked 34th while Descent: Journeys in the Dark is ranked 47th. The most important reason people chose Galaxy Trucker is:

Users have to strategize how much time they can spend on balancing their ships to how much time spent looking at the upcoming rounds cards. This makes for fast paced decision making.

Pros

Pro

Time based strategy

Users have to strategize how much time they can spend on balancing their ships to how much time spent looking at the upcoming rounds cards. This makes for fast paced decision making.

Pro

Even doing poorly at the game is fun

Galaxy Trucker has lighthearted humor that can make even loosing at the game fun due to the scenarios that can play out.

Pro

Fastest player sets the pace

Some games can be slowed down by a player that is lagging behind but in Galaxy Trucker the gameplay is set by the fastest player, which is refreshing.

Pro

Blends competitive and co-operative game play in one game

The premise is pretty unique in that one player takes on the role of an overlord while all other players act as the heroes who attempt to clear the dungeon. The overlord and the heroes play against each other in a turn-based setup.

The overlord is the one responsible for controlling the monsters and other pitfalls that the heroes will face. The overlord also has access to many powerful spell cards which can be played during their turn. The heroes work together to clear the dungeon of monsters and work towards the victory condition for their quest.

Since the main evil force is player controlled, it creates some really interesting situations not often seen in other boardgames such as monsters being able to play strategically and dealing with spell effects that aren't random.

Pro

Accessible and easy to learn game systems

While the actual rule book may not be the most organized manual in the world, the gameplay systems themselves are very simple to grasp, even for new players. Thanks to being both intuitive and easy to follow, anyone can join in on the fun.

Descent uses basic dice rolls for most actions, and how many actions you can take per turn are clearly defined based on your hero class. Movement along the board is handled in a grid like fashion with each tile denoting a certain distance. There is never any second guessing of whether or not you're in range to help a friend or attack an enemy. If you can roll dice, follow a tile based board, and understand a few simple rules, you can easily play this game.

Pro

Engaging and replayable full campaign mode

Each 60 to 90 minute game consists of a single quest, however there is a campaign mode where heroes can take on a series of story quests while also learning new skills along the way. This is a great mode for that true epic adventure feeling. If you find a hero you enjoy, you can grow and develop this character over time similar to a standard RPG game. Additionally, no two campaigns will ever be the same. There are 8 different classes to select from, and you can pick and choose the quests you do, which adds a lot of replayability.

Pro

Appealing, clean presentation

Everything is laid out cleanly on the board so it's easy to keep track of the action. Each player has their own cards with all usable actions and skills neatly presented. All heroes and monsters have game pieces that can be moved around the board, so it's easy to be aware of your surroundings and plan your next attack. The health system uses special token pieces that are used to keep track of your health. Being able to see your health physically raise and lower to keep track of your damage taken is a nice touch.

Pro

Can play solo with the mobile app

There's a mobile app called "Road to Legend" that lets you play this game solo. The app works by taking over the overlord role. It even has multiple difficulty settings so you can get as much of a challenge as you crave. It's a great way to play when you have no friends available for a gaming session.

Pro

Bitesized quests for quick fun

Each short gaming session consists of one quest with its own victory condition and two encounters. They are quick to play when you're looking for something fun to do for an hour or so.

Pro

Lots of expansion packs to keep the fun going

The makers of this board game have added over ten expansion packs which feature new monsters, quests, campaigns, heroes, and re-balanced mechanics. Even after you've extensively played the vanilla game, there's plenty of ways to extend the fun and keep playing a game you enjoy.

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Cons

Con

Beginning of game is more exciting than the last two parts

The game is broken up into three phases with the first being the most exciting. This makes for unbalanced gameplay in that the other two sections feel a bit dull.

Con

Physical quality isn't the best

The game cards and board are flimsy and wear down rather easily. After only a few games, the wear and tear will be noticeable.

Con

Disorganized rulebook

It's usually easier to find the information you need with an internet search since the rulebook itself is tough to navigate. It's arranged alphabetically by rule rather than organized in a manner that would align with the game flow.

Con

Rules can be confusing

While the game systems themselves are rather easy to pick up and learn, some phrasing on the cards and within the rulebook is a bit cryptic, which may result in confusion when first starting out.

Con

One player will always have to be the "bad guy"

Unless using the mobile app, which may very well ruin immersion for some, there is an evil overlord role that needs to be filled by a player. This is the player that makes decisions and takes actions for all the monsters. As such, this can be the source of many arguments. It can get especially bad when someone feels like they are being constantly targeted or singled out by the overlord.

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